Water Shortage Looms In Phuket

[george]

Water shortage looms in Phuket

PHUKET: -- Growing tourist numbers are threatening to create a water shortage on the resort island of Phuket later this year, Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura said on Monday.

The number of visitors was likely to rise to five million this year, putting pressure on water supplies, the governor said.

The province had already called on the government to tackle the water problem urgently, he added.

Cabinet has recently approved a budget of 66 million baht to prevent a water crisis on the island, ranked one of Thailand’s top tourist destinations.

A senior provincial irrigation official, Suwin Anukul, said that the Bangwad dam, the province’s biggest reservoir, could only meet another five months of local demand.

If there was no rain in the first half of the year, the province would have to draw on two other water sources in Talang district to meet water supply needs, said Mr. Suwin.

Construction of two new reservoirs on the island would be stepped up to provide a long-term solution to the province's water shortage problem.

Water from the Ratchaprapa dam in Surat Thani province would also be diverted to supply the Andaman coastal provinces, he said.

A feasibility study and environmental impact assessment are to be conducted before the project is given the go ahead.

--TNA 2006-01-16